Guardian
by Darkladykikyo
Summary: A group of past NCR, Legion, and Brotherhood members join up to do what no one else could do: Save the Mojave. Follow Penny as she tries to help while she runs from her own past. A bit off the beaten path. Please read and review! AU from Fallout New Vegas.
1. Grey Rock

**All Fallout characters and locations are the property of Bethesda and Obsidian.**

**-C**

* * *

Dusty boots. Moonlight. The soft night breeze.

At night, the Mojave Desert is just as alive as it is in the day. Stalkers rushed after their victims, bandits raiding small camps to gather supplies, and lone wanderers marched under the stars. Many traveled at night, trading the sun for the moon, the heat for the cool air. At night is when the rats come out to play.

During the night, you can often hear screams, cries for help. Gunshots. The sounds of a scuffle between bitter enemies. The sounds from brahmin echoing across the desert. This was the Mojave after night.

I often joined in the party. I too had a part to play.

I usually danced in the night, making great use of the darkness. And I stalked the greedy and the dangerous.

I was a guardian.

One of many.

Our mission: To save the Mojave Wasteland.

* * *

Crouching, I saw him. He was fast asleep. And he wasn't alone. Two others laid on either side of him, also sound asleep. I looked around before I moved towards him soundlessly. Taking out my kit, I tapped the shoulder of the child in the middle. He opened his eyes and started to speak until I motioned to stay quiet. Nodding, he sat up and I quickly worked on removing his collar when the child next to him stirred. Grabbing him by the arm, I yanked the child next to me and watched as his companion awoke and looked around. The child squirmed under my hold and rushed over to his friend. They hugged and exchanges glances. I sighed and looked around, hoping the guard I saw earlier wasn't making his way back. I checked the time and looked at the two children. The boy looked at me, at his companion, and then back at me. Knowing what he was trying to say, I shook my head and pointed at him. Tear threaten to come down his face and his friend looked nervously. I shook my head. Then the kid had the nerve to stare me down, clutching to his friend's hand. I sighed in defeat.

_Fine. Fine. I'll take both._

I motioned both towards me. Low. Quiet. Follow me. Once they understood my commands, I crouched down started moving towards the door. Looking around, I quickly left the room, my body close to the walls. I turned to look at the children, who were following my lead and were low against the wall. Stopping at the corner, I picked up a bottle cap and looked around to see where the next one laid. Rushing down the hallway, I followed the series of caps until I got to back of the complex.

The children were rushing to keep up but one of them tripped and fell. One of the guards heard and started to make his way over. Cursing, I grabbed the other child and placed him next to the door while grabbing my silent pistol. I moved swiftly and reached her just as the guard saw us. Two shots and he fell.

"Move."

As the girl ran off to join her friend, I checked the corners to make sure he didn't have friends. Still gripping to my gun, I went back to the children.

"This is the tricky part. We have to move fast now. They will notice that one of their guards is down. If I tell you to run, run. Don't look back. I will disable your collars so you can get past the fence. Meet me at Grey Rock. Understand?" The children nodded. I opened the door and started to run.

I overheard shouts from some of the guards and knew I had little time. No longer slient, I replaced my pistol with my trusty .45 and looked at them.

"Run. I'll see you soon. "

They ran and once I saw them out of sight, I turned to see five guards coming out of the door.

"We won't let you get away. Kill him."

Smirking, I took my aim and before any of them got a shot, I took three of the men down. The fourth swung his axe toward me. Ducking, I take my fifth shot into his stomach. The fifth man stood there, and started to take aim but he was just too slow. My sixth shot took his hand off. He immediately buckled down and stared at me as I reloaded.

"Who are you?"

Clicking the barrel, I looked at him.  
"I'm a woman. Just so you know."

One shot and the man fell onto his side. Turning around, I made my way towards the fence. Ten minutes later, I saw the rock formation that all the natives called Grey Rock. Huddled by some trees, I saw the children.

"Are you ok?" I asked. The boy nodded. The girl started to tear up and the boy hugged her. Smiling, I walked over to the trees. I picked several pods and pocketed them for later. Then I heard them come to me.

"Who are you? And why did you save us?" The boy tentatively asked. Turning to him, I pulled out several papers and handed them to him. He read through a letter from his parents with his picture attached and then a notice for his safe return. "My…my mom and dad are looking for me? Are they ok?" I nodded and looked at the girl. "Though, I was only suppose to return with one. "

The girl looked down and the boy shook his head. "She has nowhere to go. She's…her…" The girl patted his hand and he fell silent. Kneeling down, I held her hand. "Don't worry, little one. I am sure things will work out. We'll find somewhere for you." She grinned and I stood up.

"Alright. It is a bit of a walk. We will walk the night, since it's safer. I hope to make it to Primm by tomorrow afternoon. Now come on. Stay close to me and let me know if we need to stop."

As we were about to leave, the boy started to say something, but the girl beat him to it.  
"Thank you."

* * *

Hope to not only update this, but my Rayne story as well. Please review! Thank you!~


	2. Tequila Nights

_Her legs grew tired. Her breaths grew erratic. Shouts followed her as she ran down the hall, trying to reach the only way out of the complex. _

_She kept looking behind her, seeing the flashlights tracking her blood trail that was coming off her thigh. Gripping on the wound, she hoped that she didn't lose too much blood before she was free. _

_Seeing the end in sight, she raced towards the door, only to be tackled by one of his men. Her weapon flew from her hand as she and her assailant fell hard, her head bumped against the wall. Sharp pain pulsed throughout her body as the combined weight crushed onto her injured leg. She felt his hands crawl along her body, his mouth settling next to her ear._

_Where do you think you are going, precious? Boss won't like that his treasure is gone. Now, why don't you come, nice and easy… his breath smelled of whiskey and she squirmed to get away. _

_He held her down, his hands working along her body, his eyes gazing all over. He didn't notice her grabbing his gun that he tossed aside. _

_Bastard. How dare you lay your hands on me?! She pressed his gun on his stomach and pulled the trigger._

_He yelled, rolling off of her, clutching his stomach. She got up, tucking the gun away and grabbing her crowbar, she made her way to the door. _

_She stumbled out and her skin welcomed the warm, desert air. Just a few more steps… a bit more till freedom…_

_Scrambling up the hill, grabbing the dead trees and sagebrush, she finally made it to the top. She turned around, looking back at the complex. She saw someone come out of the door and recognized him. _

_Fear overtook her as she saw her former master look around for her. Pacing back and forth, he looked up in the hill where she stood. The night provided the cover she needed but knew that he knew she was there. She turned around and gingerly stumbled away, hoping to get away before he could reach her._

_A few hours proved too much for her… she collapsed and the last thing she saw was his face looking down at her._

_You will never run away from me Penny… You will never forget me._

Penny woke up, her sheets pressed against her clammy, sweaty skin. Her nails dug into her palms and sighing, she looked at them, seeing spots of blood beginning to form. Once her breathing returned to normal, she got up and opened her cabinet. Pulling out a bottle of tequila, she sat down on her couch and took a swig from the bottle.

Penny often woke up from nightmares from her escape, always ended up seeing his face. _His_ image was burned into her mind. It was years ago, when she was barely 13. She had lived as a slave since she was just two. Her parents were killed in a raiding party and they took her. But then that party were killed by an opposing tribe, and captured her. Since then, she served only one master.

Taking several more swigs, Penny could only see his face. Her master.

He was kind… treated her differently than most of the other slaves. The others resented her, would beat her when he wasn't around. He was protective of her, the way he looked at her…

Penny shook her head and took a long drink. That familiar feeling of drunkenness started to settle in and she went to grab her cigs. She stumbled over to the cabinet, pulling yet another bottle, and her cigs. Lighting one up, she took a long drag as she made her way to the window when she heard a knock. Frowning, she set down the bottle and walked to the front. She opened the door and smiled at her visitor.

Holding up a bottle of whiskey, Craig Boone smiled at Penny.

"Another one of those nights… can I come in?"

Penny stepped aside and Boone walked in. They took their spots in the kitchen, cigarettes lit and pouring shots for each other.

Penny met Boone a few years back. He was an ex-NCR sniper as part of First Recon. She first approached him when she spent a night in Novac. Wandering around, she climbing into the dinosaur, wanting to take solace by looking towards the west from the top. She didn't realize that there was someone up there until the barrel of his sniper pointed squarely at her.

"Oh. Hi."

"What are you doing here? I could have blown your head off."

"Sorry… I didn't realize. I just wanted to see the scenery from up here."

He scoffed, "There's nothing up here. Just death and sand."

Penny began to turn around, "Well, I'll just be going," until she heard him whisper, "Wait."

From then on, Penny learned of his wife's passing and agreed to help him out. They traveled the Wastes together, taking care of Legionaries that we were pushing into several villages and towns. They also traveled to the camp where Penny learned Boone's decision to take out his wife.

When she trusted him, she helped secured a position for him within the organization. As her partner, they formed an unstoppable team. Penny was his spotter and Boone her sniper. He was the only one, besides the Boss, who knew of her past. They had weekly nights like this, when Boone came back from a mission or when Penny couldn't sleep.

Pouring her a shot, Boone looked at his partner. "So… tequila. Meaning it was _that_ again."

Nodding, Penny drank her shot. He saw black bags under her eyes and her hair awry. After a few mintues, Penny looked at him. "God. You would think after all those years… I feel like it just happened yesterday…" Boone took his shot, knowing she had more to say.

Taking a long drag, Penny continued. "It would be… fifteen years today. Fifteen years since I escaped. I was afraid that he would come back for me. I even thought of going back, making him suffer. But then… I found a purpose."

Boone nodded. After being recruited, he felt he was making a difference, even if he was gunning down Legionaries. Penny convinced him to join up. After taking care of the Legion near Bitter Springs, Boone felt that he continued to live for a purpose. Penny gave him that purpose. Her organization gave him a reason to continue fighting.

Penny got up and walked to her window. She stuck her head out the window and breathed the desert air. Boone watched her to make sure she didn't fall through. He walked over to the window and joined Penny at her side.

"So, how did the mission go?" Penny asked

Boone sighed, "She was dead before I got to her." Penny shook her head and took a drag before handing it over to Boone. He took a long drag and breathed out the smoke before he spoke again. "The slavers took all of them out before I got there. It seems that someone tipped them off." Penny sighed, knowing usually they were often too late to save them.

They returned to their seats and drank in silence until the bottle was empty. Boone felt sleepy and looked over at his partner. Penny slept in her seat, her head slumped over her shoulder and her arms wrapped around her. Boone smiled and walked over to pick her up. He took her into his arms and carried her to her bed. Pulling the sheets over her, Boone lightly touched her head and then walked out of the room.

* * *

Penny groaned when she awoke, suffering from a raging headache from the night before. She didn't regret it, only because the alcohol kept her from dreaming about him.

Quickly getting dressed, she rushed out of her room. She stopped by the kitchen to brew up some coffee but thankfully Boone made some just for her. Penny then quickly made her way upstairs where she would meet with the Boss.

Knocking on his door, Penny awaited anxiously until she heard him say, "Come in." Penny opened the door and saw him standing behind his desk, looking through some papers. He looked up and motioned for her to sit. As she took a seat, she could still smell the mixture of herbs. A healing salve. She reminded herself to pick up more herbs for him.

He took a seat and passed some papers over to her. "Penny. How are you this morning?"

"I'm… fine. Another one of those nights I guess," she answered.

He nodded as he pulled out of his cigs and lit it up. "I have another assignment for you. It seems that there have been attacks on caravans that are heading to the Strip. This, Cassidy, has requested help. I would like for you to investigate this and see what you find." Penny looked through all the reports, noting that there was a unique pattern with all the attacks. Pocketing the papers, she turned to get up and leave until she heard him say her name. Penny looked at him and saw that he stood up and stared at her.

"It was about your master. I suppose it's about that time. Remember, I'm here for you." Penny nodded and managed a weak smile. "Thanks. I guess we can meet afterwards… bring out the wine…" He nodded and watched as she turned and walked out of the room.

He let out a sigh and sat back in the chair. The pain sometimes came and went some days. The healer provided many remedies but it's wasn't his injury that caused his pains.

Opening up his desk, he pulled out a large gold medallion. Holding it is his hand, he remembered the day he found her with this around her neck. He knew to whom it belong to. Someone who had command of a large army. Someone who ordered his troops to take down Caesar's second-in-command in order to take the position for himself. The one who caused the scars that burned deep onto him.

He'll pay. Someday.


	3. Whiskey Boots

**Guardian- Ch. 3 Whiskey Boots**

**I think I might change the rating to M for alcohol and drug use… because we all love to drink in the Mojave Wasteland.**

**-C**

* * *

Rose of Sharon Cassidy ordered her third bottle of whiskey. The NCR soldier looked at her, deciding whether or not he should give her the third bottle. Cass made his decision for him. Grabbing the bottle and pouring herself a shot, she placed some caps on the table.

"Thank you." She toasts to him and takes her shot. She could feel the warm liquid going down, her body relishing the taste of it. Cass hollered and slammed her shot glass down. Ready to pour herself another glass, Cass yelled at the bartender to turn on the radio. The NCR soldier shook his head but went to turn it on.

The sounds of Marty Robbins filled the bar and Cass swayed. Memories started to flood in, remembering one memory when she was fairly young. She could remember her father singing several old country songs, particular El Paso by Marty Robbins. She was on his lap and he would be drinking his whiskey, playing on the harmonica to this one song.

Tears started to well up as she drank her whiskey. There were several things that her father left to her: her name, the pendant that hang on her neck, and his name. The caravan was in danger to become extinct. She only had her load sitting outside the Mojave outpost. Cass heard the one of the few caravans was attacked and taken out. She was sad to find out some of her closest friends were taken out.

But the thing is, her caravans weren't the only ones being attacked. Smaller companies were being raided and taken out by unknown assailants. She thought raiders at first but the attacks seemed too organized for hopped up druggies. No, someone was purposefully taking out the competition.

Since she was at a NCR outpost, she thought she would talk to them about the attacks. Yet, her pleas fell to deaf ears; no one was willing to help. The NCR were all too caught up with dealing with the Legion than dealing with their own citizens.

One night though, this mysterious man came up to her and told her of a group that takes care of business no one wants to do. He gave the contact info and told her that they would definitely help. He was dressed as an NCR officer, but he had the black ranger armor on. She nearly scoffed when he gave her the information. He reassured her that this group could help her. He bought her another shot before leaving. This was just a few nights ago.

After that, she felt that this group was her last chance to figure out what was going on with all the caravans so she sent a note to them. She has sat in the bar ever since.

Couple more shots, Cass was about to give up hope for the night when she heard the door open. There was hardly anyone in the bar, all the soldiers left to the barracks to sleep. It was one in the morning.

The person came in, fully dressed in the NCR black ranger armor. Strolling in, they took a spot in the bar and nodded at the bartender.

"A beer please. Cold, don't give me a warm one this time." So this person was a female, a female ranger. Not too many of those around. The bartender saluted and walked over to the back, grabbing a couple for her.

Cass nodded at her and the ranger nodded back. Once the bartender came back with the beers, the ranger held up her hand and the bartender nodded and left the bar. Cass looked at the ranger and saw that she came up and sat next to her.

"What is the color of the rose?" Cass asked. The ranger took off her helmet and smiled, "It is the color of the desert. It never dies." Cass grabbed a shot glass and poured some of the whiskey.

"So, what's your name?" She asked. The ranger took Cass's shot of whiskey from her outstretched hand. "Penny. Yours?" Cass poured into her glass and raised it. Penny raised hers and they toasted before downing the shot.

"Rose of Sharon Cassidy. Just call me Cass for short." Penny nodded and took a drink from her beer.

"So," Penny started, "tell me about yourself and why did you contact us?"

Cass poured more whiskey as she began, "Well, I need to find out who took out my caravan and why. Not just mine but all the other caravans." She took her shot before continuing, "I have only one wagon left. That is all I have left of my caravan. I truly believe someone is taking out these caravans purely on competition. And I think I know who."

"Who then?" Penny asked. Cass smiled and took her shot. "Alice McLafferty and the Crimson Caravan."

Seeing Penny's incredulous look, Cass shook her head. "I know that that seems crazy, but who else would do it? I don't have any sort of evidence, but I know in my gut it's her. Just a few months ago, Alice sent a letter seeing if I wanted to sell her my father's caravan. I refused. I also heard from many of the other caravans that they received similar offers. And these are the same ones that got hit in the last few weeks."

Penny silently drank her beer, processing all the information. Cass stared at her, her eyes a tad bit bloodshot. She was a girl who can drink, that's for sure.

Penny took out her papers and laid them out. Cass leaned over and looked at all of them, reading them, her eyes getting bigger. She looked at Penny, who nodded and smiled.

"I do believe in your accusation Cass, but I need to find hard evidence. Even though Crimson Caravan seems the most logical choice, I think they aren't the only ones behind this. There is someone else in play here." Cass nodded as she looked through all of Penny's documents.

"Right. Ok. So where should we start?" She asked. Penny took one of the documents and handed it to her. "We will check your caravan. It was the first to get hit. We might still be able to find something here." Cass nodded, "Good. Alright. Let's go." Penny stared at her and shook her head. "Whoa there Cass, I think we need to give you time to cool off." Cass smirked, "You obviously have never dealt with me. Let's go. I am itching to leave this place."

Penny left some caps on the bar, gathered her things and put on her helmet. The bartender came back saluting Penny as she walked out.

Cass went to her wagon, where Penny saw two bull Brahmins. She watched as Cass stroked their heads, trying to wake them up. After making all the preparations, the two ladies with the wagon walked out of the Mojave outpost and into the desert.

Penny could remember the first time she walked out of the outpost and seeing New Vegas in the distance. The lights were always gleaming and it looked so amazing. She knew all of New Vegas was an illusion, but she loved it nevertheless. It was perfect contrast with the Mojave night sky. She looked up and could see almost all the stars, with the moon making its course across the sky. She loved it here. It was just perfect.

Cass lit up one of her cigarettes and handed one over to Penny. She took her helmet off and left the nice desert breeze hitting her face. She took a long drag and breathed it out, watching the wind take the smoke away.

Cass stared at her, watching the ranger with fascination. Taking a drag of her cigarette, she began the conversation. "So, what organization do you belong with? Some secret op team of the NCR?"

Penny stared ahead before answering. "No nothing like that. We are not affiliated with any major groups in the Mojave. We are our own splitter group. We take care of things that no one else will do. If there are groups in need, we help them out, no questions asked. We mostly deal with slavers and raiders. We do independent contracts with a lot of groups. We are not influenced by politics, but we want to help make Mojave a better place to live."

"Ok, but how you guys different from other groups, like the Followers or the NCR? Wait, how do you have that armor? Isn't that worn by the elite group from the NCR?"

Penny smiled, "I'm actually ex-NCR. There are quite a few of us who were part of the big dogs. We have a little bit of NCR, Followers, and even Legion. Yeah, we are a bunch of misfits who happen to realize we all want the same thing and although our methods are different, we get the job done. "

"Wait, you were NCR? Why did you leave?" Cass asked.

"So many questions, heh. I actually left after my tour of duty. They wanted to extend it, but I was tired of all the NCR bullshit. I was part of several units, making my way to the Rangers. After that, I left, working as a mercenary until one of my old friends contacted me and I joined his organization. And that's the story."

Absentmindedly petting her Brahmin, Cass looked out towards the landscape, seeing New Vegas from a distance. They moved silently along, Penny listening to the sounds of coyote off in the distance.

They made to the one of the old gas stations not too far from the outpost when Cass yawned. Penny looked over at her, "Tired? We can stop here for the night." Cass shook her head, stifling another yawn. "No, I can keep going. At least we can make it to Primm. I know some folks down there who have a place to stay."

Penny nodded and they continued to walk, exchanged stories about their past. Cass told her of her family, her dad leaving when she was young and growing up with her mother. After she was 18, Cass decided to take up her father's business, making routes as far west in California, to some in Utah. She talked about all the people she met and some of the crazy adventures.

Penny kept mostly silent, just listening to her talk until something spooked her in the distance. She pulled out her .45 and looked down at the sights.

The Brahmin grunted as they too noticed something near them. Cass tried to calmed them down, unaware of what they were getting restless about.

Without warning, several shots rang out, causing Penny to whip around and hide behind the wagon. She heard a grunt and soon Cass squatted beside her, shotgun in hand.

Yells pierced the night as a small group of Vipers tried to flank the caravan. The Brahmin howled and started to run away. Penny knew she didn't have a lot of time and would lose the caravan if she didn't try and stop them.

Exchanging her gun for something more sutiable, Penny looked at Cass. "I want you to try and calm the Brahmin and get to a safe distance. Run to the gas station and I'll see if I can take them apart."

Cass shook her head, "I can try and help. The Brahmin can go to the gas station as we try and hold them off."

Nodding, Penny replaced her helmet and turned on her night vision. She quickly darted away and out of sight. Cass, left behind, rushed over to the Brahmin, smack one on the hind leg and quickly hopped onto the wagon, popping her head up to take some shots.

Cass hated night fights. She couldn't see anything, but she took her shots trying to get the gang dispersed. Once the gang followed the wagon, Cass could see Penny silently making her way to several members. She saw her going up to one, grabbing the Viper by the head and quickly snapped it to one side. Unaware there was a sneak, the Vipers kept shooting at the wagon while Penny prepared her attack.

She took her knife and stabbed one of the women in the back, flinging her body away before jumping on her partner. Penny slashed his throat and tossed him aside. Taking his gun, she took two shots at a nearby Viper and disappeared before he hit the ground.

The Vipers soon realized that their numbers were declining and only four of them remained. Shouting commands, they started to shoot when Penny hid, giving Cass a chance to take down two.

The Viper captain yelled at her last member, telling them to retreat. Cass took out that Viper and saw Penny rushed the captain, tackling her to the ground. Several shots rang out and Cass stilled, watching to see if Penny was hurt.

Seconds later, she let out a sigh of relief when she saw Penny rise up, brushing off the dust and started to make over towards the wagon.

"Whoa, I said WHOA there boys. Come on, stop. WHOA!" Cass leaped out of the wagon and tried to slow down the Brahmin. They stopped right in front of an abandoned shack, their heads held high as they mooed. Sighing, Cass didn't notice Penny until she moved behind her and towards the Brahmin.

"Are you hurt?" Cass asked. Penny shook her head, "Barely. Maybe a bruise on my knee, but nothing major. You?" Cass walked over to see Penny checking the Brahmin for injuries.

"No, nothing at all." She took out her flask and drank some of her homemade whiskey. Handing it over to Penny, who graciously took it, Cass sat down.

"My god, I have never seen anyone move like that ever. The way you just snapped that guys neck. Wow. Impressive." Cass flashed Penny a smile. Penny sat down, chuckling.

"All part of the job. There's someone else who can do it better than me."

"What, really? How?"

"You can see me. Either you are quite perceptive or I am getting sloppy."

Cass laughed and drank some more of her flask. Penny stretched and looked at the sky. Only a few more hours till sunrise, she thought. Standing up, Penny looked down at Cass.

"We should continue. Make it to Primm, rest there, and make it to your caravan tomorrow afternoon."

Cass nodded, "Tired already, Penny? Alright, to Primm. Let's go boys."


End file.
